1981 Princeton Tigers football team

The 1981 Princeton Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Princeton University during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Princeton finished third in the Ivy League.

1981 Princeton Tigers football
Conference	Ivy League
1981 record	5–4–1 (5–1–1 Ivy)
Head coach	Frank Navarro (4th season)
Captains	Jonathon D. Helmerich Lawrence D. Van Pelt
Home stadium	Palmer Stadium

1981 Ivy League football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Yale +	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Dartmouth +	6	–	1	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Princeton	5	–	1	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Harvard	4	–	2	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Brown	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Cornell	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Columbia	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
Penn	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions

In their fourth year under head coach Frank Navarro, the Tigers compiled a 5–4–1 record but were outscored 323 to 233. Jonathon D. Helmerich and Lawrence D. Van Pelt were the team captains.[1]

Princeton's 5–1–1 conference record placed third in the Ivy League standings. The Tigers outscored Ivy opponents 181 to 155.[2]

This would be Princeton's last season in the NCAA's top level of football competition. Shortly after the season ended, the NCAA reassigned all of the Ivy League teams to the second-tier Division I-AA,[3] which would later be renamed the Football Championship Subdivision.

Princeton played its home games at Palmer Stadium on the university campus in Princeton, New Jersey.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	at Dartmouth	Memorial Field Hanover, NH	L 13–32	6,981	[4]
September 26	at Delaware*	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	L 8–61	10,110	[5]
October 3	at Brown	Brown Stadium Providence, RI	W 20–17	5,800	[6]
October 10	Columbia	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ	W 21–14	12,360	[7]
October 17	at Army*	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 0–34	39,515	[8]
October 24	at Harvard	Harvard Stadium Boston, MA (rivalry)	T 17–17	17,500	[9]
October 31	at Penn	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA (rivalry)	W 38–30	20,333	[10]
November 7	Maine*	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ	L 44–55	6,887	[11]
November 14	Yale	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ (rivalry)	W 35–31	20,303	[12]
November 21	Cornell	Palmer Stadium Princeton, NJ	W 37–14	9,009	[13]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "Results". Princeton Football Record Book. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University. p. 30. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
2. "Year-by-Year History". Ivy League Football Media Guide (PDF). Princeton, N.J.: Ivy League. 2017. p. 29. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
3. Roberts, Ernie (December 4, 1981). "Big Guys on Block Bully Ivy, HC Football". The Boston Globe. Boston, Mass.
4. Robbins, Paul (September 20, 1981). "Dartmouth Opens by Routing Princeton, 32-13". The Sunday Rutland Herald. Rutland, Vt. sect. 2, p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Simmons, Bill (September 27, 1981). "Delaware Massacres Princeton". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 9-D – via Newspapers.com.
6. Ahern, John (October 4, 1981). "Princeton, Holly Stop Brown". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 84 – via Newspapers.com.
7. O'Brien, Ken (October 11, 1981). "Holly Drives Tigers". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Army Shuts Out Princeton, 34-0". Poughkeepsie Journal. Poughkeepsie, N.Y. October 11, 1981. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
9. Monahan, Bob (October 25, 1981). "Harvard Gains Tie". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 86 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Shister, Gail (November 1, 1981). "Princeton QB Tosses Quakers for a 38-30 Loss". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 9-F – via Newspapers.com.
11. O'Brien, Ken (November 8, 1981). "Maine Bests Tigers". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Yale Upset, 35-31". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. November 15, 1981. p. 71 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Van Sickle, Kenny (November 23, 1981). "Blackman Sees Better Days Ahead for Big Red". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, N.Y. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.